Cal 31 or Niagara 31 ?

[SAM]

Hi Mates,
I have sold my E-28 and thought I was getting out of boating. It's not happening and I'm out shopping again! Just can't quit this habit of some 35 years!
Anyhow I have come across a Niagara 31 and a Cal 31. The Niagara is 1,200 lbs. lighter but with a higher ballast to weight ratio. Both have huge rigs (almost 500 sq.ft. of sail) that will be great in the northern Chesapeake Bay. From what I'm reading it seems the Niagara is probably the higher quality and sturdier. We are not tough on our boats so either should be a good "Bay" boat.
The Cal has a nicer interior layout but a small cockpit which is OK with our usual crew of 2. They both are powered by 20+ hp diesel engines that will be great for motoring 2 to 3 hours which we do often when running home late after weekends out. The Cal has a 2006 27hp Yanmar and the Niagara has the original 22hp Westerbeke. Anyone know which would likely be the better boat to motor?
Also does anyone have any other knowledge on either or both of these vessels. Any and all comments will be appreciated.
I have returned to this site because there are some very knowledgable people that frequent this site. Thanks so much for any input you may offer.
Sincerely,
Sam

 

[Loren Beach]

I owned a Niagara 26 for ten years, and owning the smallest yacht from a builder of larger high-end boats was a real pleasure. I was aboard a 31 to look around but did not sail one. I know that they have a very fast rep. as a performance cruiser before that term was used to sell boats. Also, the N-31 was not specifically designed to the IOR, a good thing IMHO.
Hinterhoeller built very good boats.

I used to sail in company with a Cal 31 whose owner had moved up from a fin-keel Catalina 25 and had won many shelves of trophies with his Cat. I passed him up going to windward with my N-26. He was always dissappointed with the performance of that Cal. It had a great looking teak interior inside an IOR-ish hull form with a pinched stern.

The Niagara will be less posh inside than the Cal, but I would take the Frers-designed Niagara 31 over the Cal.
One other difference is that the Niagara used an inward-turning flange on the hull, to allow the overlapped deck to be thru-bolted with an unusual aluminum toe rail that incorporated a top T-track. Never a leak, being sealed with butyl tape. This is one of the strongest and most leak-proof hull/deck joints in the industry.

After all these decades, however, one of the most important things will be the survey report.

Keep us posted...

regards,
Loren

 

[Seth]

Loren rules

The Niagra is for sure the better boat. If the prices are close, it is not even a question.

Good luck,
S

 

[InSync]

Love the Cal boats...but

I absolutely LOVE the Cal sailboats. I currently own Hull #1 (yep, the original US #1) of the Cal20's and race it both one design and PHRF. But, some of the larger Cal's have a problem with the "beam of death". In fact, this fellow did a good job documenting his challenges - http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cal/60328-sea-fevers-cal-29-beam-death.html

I am not sure if the Cal31 was built using the "beam of death" but it is worth checking out. A friend of mine has a Cal30 which is a fabulous boat and he ended up replacing the "BOD". As it turned out, he figured it probably would have been okay as the rust was mainly in the middle portion and not all the way through. Some of the Cal's were designed with the hose outlet for the icebox running alongside and ending about midpoint on the "BOD" which only exacerbates the problem.

We ended up buying an Ericson 32 as the Cal's we looked at in a similar size range all had potential problems with the "BOD" at the time we were buying.

I kinda like the sound of the newer engine though.....depends on how handy you are with things mechanical. Good luck!

 

[Seth]

Cals are great

Of course most of the Cal boats are great-even legendary (Cal 40), but in this comparison I think the Niagra wins.

Cheers,
S

 

[mggilmore]

Fiberglass construction

I think some of the Niagara boats have a Balsa Wood core in the fiberglass. If so, make sure you very carefully check out the boat for water in the core. From wat I understand, water in Balsa wood may spread easily and be difficult to repair.

 

[sailingdeacon]

I owned a N31. Fast able boat. Very comfortable cockpit. After much research I concluded the hull was NOT cored although some of the larger Ns were. My only complaint was that you have to reef down earlier and that accessing the engine via the cockpit is difficult. It is a fine performance cruiser. Am happy to discuss further. It is a very beautiful boat... looks traditional but with a fin keel.